Hopper



Nov. 24, 1936.

HOPPER Filed Jan. 25, 1935 J. T. CHAMBERS ET Al.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 WrnerZe/maw.

INVENTORS BYMM;

ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 24, 1936..

J. T. CHAMBERS z-:T A1.

HOPPER Filed Jan. 25, '19:55 5 sheets-sheet 2 NNY ATTORNEYS. l

Nov. 24, 1936. J. T. CHAMBERS ET Ax.

HOPPER Filed Jan. 25, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNE YS.

40 l A accompanying drawings, which are hereinafter @Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES sie;

N 'i OFFI E HOI-PER Application January 25, 1935, Serial No. 3,382

8 Claims.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in hoppers, that are more or less continuously loaded, but whose contents are at intervals unloaded into travelling cars.

The principal object of our invention is to provide a hopper that is automatically opened to discharge its contents when a car arrives to receive them, and that is automatically closed when the loaded car is removed from beneath the hopper.

Another object resides in the provision of a hopper whereby materials of a wet and sticky nature may be received from an excavating machine, accumulated or stored, and discharged into a car more quickly, less expensively, with greater material-clearing facility, requiring less operating power, and in a greatly simplified manner.

f Another object resides in the provision of a hopper which is peculiarly adapted to conditions existing in the operation of such machines as those shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 1,923,913, issued August 22, 1933, to one of us, namely Chambers.

Ano-ther object resides in the provision of a tilting hopper whose loads can be discharged more easily, more quickly, less expensively, and with less obstruction to discharging loads.

Another object resides in the provision of a hopper of proportionately greater horizontal receiving and discharging sections, in proportion to' its weight, and with all sides substantially vertical while discharging its loads.

In addition to our principal object, we have worked out a number of novel and useful details, which will be readily evident as the description progresses.

Our invention consists in the novel parts, and in the combinations and arrangements thereof, which are deined in the appended claims; and of which one embodiment is exemplified in the particularly described and explained.

Throughout the description, the same reference number is applied to the same member or to similar members.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that:

Figure 1 is a side View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of our hopper and associated mechanism, in extreme dumping position, with part of the receiving car shown in section below it.

Figures 2 to 5 show the material parts of the structure of Figure l, but in successive stages of elo-sing, as will be more particularly explained as 5 the description progresses.

Referring more particularly to Figure l, the parts will now be described as follows. It is to be understood that many of the elements occur in pairs, of each of which pair for simplicity only 10 one element is herein shown.

Il is a part of the main frame of the general assembly of which our hopper forms a part. Carried thereby are brackets l2, of which one is shown, to journally support trunnions I3, of 15 which one is shown, for the rotation of the hop-` per-bottom lll.

Integral with this bottom are sides I5 and beams i6, of each of which but one is shown. The beams, of which there may be four or ve, 2o serve the dual purpose of stiffening the bottom and of contacting the roller or rollers hereinafter described. These beams are of I-construction, the bottom flange thereof being curved at one end as shown, so as to perform the function 25 hereinafter dei-ined.

The door il of the hopper does not move withV the hopper, but is carried rigidly by the main frame ll, by means of brackets I8, of which one is shown, so that we have the situation of the 30 door remaining fixed and the hopper opening, instead o-f vice versa as is usual.

These brackets i8 also carry latches i9, actuating springs 2@ therefor, and bell-crank 2l. Latch-operating lever 22 is pivoted on the main 35 frame il, and is connected with bell-crank 2l by means of rod 23. The exact arrangement of all this chain of control is quite immaterial, provided that the items thereof are so positioned and proportioned as to function as hereinafter described.

On rails 2li, of which one is shown, runs a car 25, the details of which are immaterial to the present invention. This car is pulled in one direction by ropes 26, of which one is shown; and 45 in the other direction by ropes 21, of which one is shown.

The car carries a roller or rollers 28, to engage the beams i6; and a shoe 29, to engage the lever 22, It is to be understood that these rollers 28 50 and this shoe 29 can be combined into two means or a single means performing the functions of both the shoe and the rollers. Accordingly when we recite two means moving with the car, this will be satisfied by but a single means, performing the functions of both.

There may be a bumper 3l), to limit the travel of the car to the left.

On each side I5 of the hopper, there is a notched plate 3l, carrying a somewhat thickened catch 32 for the latch I9.

Commencing with Figure 5, we shall now describe the opening of the hopper. This figure shows the hopper closed, and the car 25 approaching from the right.

In Figure 4, the car has progressed a little further to the left, so that the rollers 28 have engaged the beams I6, lifting the hopper slightly, and thus freeing the catches 32 from the latches I9.

Further movement to the left, as shown in Figure 3, results in the shoe 29 engaging the latchoperating lever 22, whereby through the resulting moti-on of rod 23 and bell-crank 2I, the latches I9 are retracted. Thereupon the roller 28, engaging the beams I6, gently lowers the hopper past the latch-engaging position, while the latches I9 are still held retracted.

In Figure 2, the hopper is lowered still further; and, as there is no need to hold the latch retracted, it is released.

In Figure 1, the hopper has reached its eX- treme open position, for dumping into the car 25.

Please note that, throughout the opening of the hopper, it is gradually eased open, by virtue 0f the continuing contact between the beams I6 on the door, and the rollers 28 on the car.

After the car is iilled by the discharge of the hopper into it, the car is pulled to the right again by ropes 2l. The hopper and associated parts occupy successively the positions shown in Figures l to 5. The .rollers 28, by bearing against the beams I E, gradually close the door. As the catch 32 approaches the latch I9, the shoe 29 engages the lever 22, which acting through rod 23 and bell-crank 2|, retracts the latch I 9 as shown in Figure 3.

The action of the rollers 28 on the beams I6, continues to raise the catch 32 to above the latching position, whereupon the shoe 29 clears the lever 22, letting the latch I9 slide into latching position, under the influence of the spring 20, all of which is as shown in Figure 4.

Then the rollers 28 gradually clear the beams i5, thus gently lowering the catch 32 onto the latch I9, as shown in Figure 5.

The car then continues on its journey to the4 right, to the place where its contents are to be dumped. The mechanism necessary to empty the car, being no part of this invention, is not shown.

Having now described and illustrated one form of our invention, we wish it to be understood that our invention is not to be limited to the specic form or arrangement of parts hereinbefore described, except in so far as such limitations are specied in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. In combination: a xed hopper-door; a tiltable normally substantially horizontal hopper, biased to open under the influence of gravity; a latch to hold the hopper closed against this bias; a latch-operating member, operatively connected to the latch; a hopper-operating member, operatively connected to the hopper; a car, slidable horizontally to and from a load-receiving position beneath the hopper; means, moving with the car, to engage the latch-operating member, to unlatch the latch; and means, moving with the car, to engage the hopper-operating member, to lift the hopper oii the latch and then ease it open, when moving in one direction, and to close the hopper to above the latching position and then lower it onto the latch when moving in the other direction.

2. In combination: a hopper-door; a tiltable normally substantially horizontal hopper, biased to open; a latch to hold the hopper closed against this bias; a latch-operating member, operatively connected to the latch; a hopper-operating member, operatively connected to the hopper; a car, slidable horizontally to and from a loadreceiving position beneath the hopper; means, moving with the car, to engage the latch-operating member, to unlatch the latch; and means, moving with the car, to engage the hopper-operating member, to ease the hopper open, when moving in one direction, and to close and latch the hopper, when moving in the other direction.

3. In combination: a fixed hopper-door; a tiltable hopper, biased to open under the iniiuence of gravity; a latch to hold the hopper closed against this bias; a latch-operating member, operatively connected to the latch; a hopper-operating member, operatively connected to the hopper; a car, slidable to and from a load-receiving position beneath the hopper; means, moving with the car, to engage the latch-operating member, to unlatch the latch; and means, moving with the car, to engage the hopper-operating member, to lift the hopper 01T the latch and then ease it open, when moving in one direction, and to close the hopper to above the latching position and then lower it onto the latch when moving in the other direction.

4. In combination: a hopper-door; a tiltable hopper, biased to open; a latch to hold the hopper closed against this bias; a latch-operating member, operatively connected to the latch; a hopper-operating member, operatively connected to the hopper; a car, slidable to and from a loadreceiving position beneath the hopper; means, moving with the car, to engage the latch-operating member, to unlatch the latch; and means, moving with the car, to engage the hopper-operating member, to ease the hopper open, when moving in one direction, and to close and latch the hopper, when moving in the other direction.

5. A hopper, comprising: a hopper bottom; support means appropriately adapted to the tilting of the hopper in a vertical plane; hopper sides, integral with the bottom, and higher toward the discharge end of the bottom; beams, serving both to stiIIen the bottom, and as runners, to ease the bottom open and to close it; and a latch element on the hopper at a substantial radial distance from the axis of tipping, serving to hold the hopper closed.

6. A hopper, comprising: a hopper bottom; support means appropriately adapted to the tilting of the hopper in a vertical plane; hopper sides, integral with the bottom, and higher toward the discharge end of the bottom; beams, serving both to stiffen the bottom, and as runners, to ease the bottom open and to close it; a latch element on the hopper at a substantial radial distance from the axis of tipping, serving to hold the hopper closed and a stationary hopper-door.

7. A hopper, comprising: a hopper bottom;

support means appropriately adapted to the tilting of the hopper in a vertical plane; hopper sides, higher toward the discharge end of the bottom; beams, serving both to stiffen the bottom, and as runners, to ease the bottom open and to close it; and a latch element on the hopper at a substantial radial distance from the axis of tipping, serving to hold the hopper closed.

8. In combination: a fixed substantially vertical 10 hopper-door; a hopper, comprising a bottom downwardly inclined toward the bottom of the xed door, and two substantially vertical sides higher toward the discharge end of the bottom; a pivot for the hopper, so positioned that the hopper When loaded Will be biased by gravity to tilt open; and releasable means for holding the hopper closed against such bias. 

